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Toronto weather: Experts rank CEOs’ handling of crisis

Toronto has seen three major weather-related crises in the past month, and three different responses from the heads of the agencies responsible for cleaning up the mess. We asked five crisis communications experts to rank “the good, the bad and the ugly.” The grades given are averages from the experts.

Anthony Haines, Toronto Hydro president and CEO

Salary: $471,702 (earned $935, 501 in 2012 including incentives)

Years in role: Four

Experience: Held executive positions with various energy companies, including Hydro Ottawa

The crisis: An ice storm in December left 300,000 homes without power. Many expressed frustration with Toronto Hydro’s customer service line, which was often busy, and the lack of a timeline for when power would return.

The response: Haines appeared in daily news conferences next to the mayor and other executives to offer daily updates, explain what hydro crews were doing to restore power and express his understanding of customers’ frustration.

Grade: A

What experts said: Warren Weeks, a Toronto-based media trainer, gave Haines top marks, pointing out that Forum Research just released a poll showing an 82-per-cent approval rating of Toronto Hydro’s handling of the crisis.

“To me, that’s an example of the fact that the organization certainly can’t control the weather or the circumstances that they find themselves in,” he said. “If you’re being open and transparent and timely with your responses, I think people will give you a lot of leeway.”

Experience: Spent 17 years establishing and running the world’s highest-rated airport in Hong Kong; also worked for Transport Canada and the Edmonton Airport Authority

The crisis:
Extreme cold slowed down operations at Pearson airport Tuesday, leading the authority to ban all North American landings. Thousands of passengers were stranded and many complained there was no communication from staff inside the airport.

The response:
Eng remained silent on Tuesday and Wednesday; spokespeople would only say he was in Edmonton “on business.” He broke his silence Thursday to apologize to passengers and to promise to
make public GTAA’s review
of the shutdown, which it had earlier planned to keep secret. He continues to be silent on the nature of the business trip and what if any meetings were scheduled.

Grade:
C

What experts said:
Bill Walker, principal of MidTown PR, said it was clear Eng was trying to make up for lost time. The CEO could have easily spoken to the public via video or phone while he was in Edmonton.

“He’s a very highly respected international airport executive and we’re lucky to have him, but the organization let people down and he was AWOL. The CEO does have to be the face of a crisis,” said Walker.

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“People expect the person who is in charge to be in charge. They will ultimately blame the person who is in charge, and in every case it’s the CEO.”

What’s next:
Eng has promised to meet with representatives of airlines and ground handlers next week to hold a “no holds barred” review. Each agency will make an action plan, and Eng, for his part, has promised to make the authority’s plan public.

Deepak Chopra, Canada Post president and CEO

Salary:
between $440,900 and $518,600

Years in role:
Three

Experience:
Former CEO of the Canadian and Latin American regions of Pitney Bowes, a global mailing and communications firm.

The crisis:
Canada Post failed to deliver mail to hundreds of homes across the GTA for more than two weeks without any explanation to residents.

The response:
After delivery delays were revealed in the Star, Canada Post said many of its workers took sudden leaves of absence after the December ice storm.
Chopra has refused to speak publicly
, prompting transportation critics and furious residents to demand he apologize. On Friday night, Canada Post and Chopra apologized and
announced plans for a new alert system
for delayed and suspended deliveries.

Grade:
F

What experts said:
Heath Applebaum, principal and owner of Echo Communications, said Chopra and Canada Post deserve a failing grade for not communicating in a timely and open way.

“It is shocking that an organization of this size did not have an actionable crisis plan and team ready to respond,” he said. “The lack of accountability ... suggests that the organization, and its leadership, was completely unprepared for the circumstances.”

What’s next:
Canada Post has imposed forced overtime on some of its employees this week to work through the backlog. Late Friday, the Crown corporation said Chopra has agreed to speak to the Star.

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